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The Feywild
The Feywild and Shadowfell are called echoes of the Material Plane, reflections of that plane, but with their respective properties carried to the extreme. Nature and magic are two governing properties of the Feywild, and are evident in the geography, flora, and fauna of the entire plane. Mysterious and deadly to those who do not know how to navigate it, the Feywild is unchartable by normal methods. To travel from one location to another, one must use strange and often magical methods. For instance, Sources for Feywild material include: * 5e Dungeon Master's Guide * 4e Heroes of the Feywild * 4e Manual of the Planes Landscape For example, the 5E D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide (pg 49) says the Feywild’s “sky is alight with the faded colors of an ever-setting sun, which never truly sets (or rises for that matter); it remains stationary, dusky and low in the sky.” The DMG also says the Feywild landscape is a spectacular version of the Material Plane’s landscape. “Where a volcano stands on the Material Plane, a mountain topped with skyscraper-sized crystals that glow with internal fire towers in the Feywild.” (5E DMG pg 49) The same concept applies to the Feywild creatures. Laws of the Fey Nearly all fey are bound to a specific set of rules. Some fey can break some of these Laws, but for the most part, they can be seen as a static code among fairies. Fey are physically unable to break these laws. Moreso, they do not see these laws as boundaries, but simply as the way things are. A fey creature cannot comprehend the idea of telling a lie, for example, although they know that mortals are able to, and are always on their guard. The rules of the fey are known as the Laws, and are worded in three simple commandments. Speak No False Words * A fairy cannot knowingly tell a lie. This does not mean that a fairy cannot spread deceit, or trick an adversary into believing a falsehood. It simply means that a fairy cannot speak false words. By nature, fairies never tell the full truth, weaving their words in such a way as to avoid lying while at the same time leaving an impression of something false or incomplete in the mind of the one they are talking to. The closest thing a fairy will give to an absolute truth a fairy will give, outside of certain circumstances, is their answer to a question asked three times in succession. If asked in such a way, a fairy is bound to give some sort of answer or promise that is true and not misleading. In such a scenario, a malevolent fairy will often do everything in their power to warp the truth after the fact, making the situation seem much more confusing than it really is, or vice versa. Break No Oaths * A deal made by a fairy is absolute, and a fairy cannot willingly break a deal. Fairies, by nature, try to make deals with other creatures that they want power over, often with the payment owed to them seeming much smaller or easier to pay than it truly is, or else not mentioning a return payment until after the deal has been accepted. Failure to pay within the given time results in the fairy having power over the dealbreaker, which was the original goal. A deal a fairy offers will always be equal, and anything offered by a mortal, should it be anything other than equal payment, will be seen as either an opportunity or an insult. Fairies hate to be in debt, and cannot give or take anything for free. Accepting a gift from a fairy is the same as accepting an open-ended deal, and the fairy can extract payment as they see necessary. At the same time, giving a gift to the fey puts them in debt, which they hate. While they are forced to repay their debt, they will also look for an opportunity to harm the gift-giver, except for very special circumstances. Similarly, promises made to or by the fey are binding, and must be fulfilled. An oath of fealty can only be broken through an agreement on both parties. Additionally, a vassal must fulfill all of the orders of their master, and their master cannot order them to break any previous oaths, and can only inflict harm on them if they fail to complete their orders to the master’s satisfaction. Prisoners are automatically considered vassals. Harm No Outsiders * A fairy belonging to a Court, even temporarily, cannot directly harm a fairy or mortal that does not belong to the same court, or is not ranked lower than themselves, unless if they are slighted by the individual beforehand. Duels are accepted, and open combat between the two Courts is also allowed. Because of the specifics of this rule, predators who wish to hunt prey that does not belong to them try to enter a deal with their prey or cause their prey to slight them, allowing them to hunt to their heart’s content. Different types of fey have different definitions of a slight, and these definitions are absolute. If a creature intrudes on a malk or kumonga colony’s territory without offering something to the resident fey or proving their strength in some other way, it is considered fair game, and is hunted down mercilessly, for example. Fey Courts (Canon) Most residents of the Feywild hold allegiance to one of the various Fey Courts. Each Fey Court is led by one or more archfey. Though most Fey Courts do not have rigidly defined territories, there is nevertheless a web of complicated political relationships between them. * The Summer Court ** Ruled by Titania and Oberon, this is a primarily Seelie group of fey. It is the most reknown by denizens of the Material Plane, as it favors mortals most and has had the most dealings with them in the past. * The Winter Court ** Perhaps the most infamous court, this group is ruled by the Queen of Night and Magic and her husband, the Moonlit King. Most of these fey are Unseelie, and their realm is the Shadow Realm far duskwards. The Snow Queen is also a part of this court. * The Wild / Green Court ** The Green Court is ruled by the Bear King, and has many other fey lords and archfey that vie for rulership in his annual competition. So far, he has maintained his leadership for time immemorial. Other members include the Fox Prince, Lorne. * The Sea / Coral Court ** Ruled by twins Elias and Siobahn, the Coral Court tends to stay neutral in most political conflicts of the Feywild, which is fortunate since their raw strength is unparalleled. The River King is also a member of this court. * The Gloaming Court ** Shrouded in mystery, this court holds no territory, but its members are not to be underestimated. They hate lycanthropes. The Lord of the Hunt and the Queen of Witches are among its most powerful fey. Fey Courts (Inspiration) Most residents of the Feywild hold allegiance to one of the various Fey Courts. Each Fey Court is led by one of the archfey. Though most Fey Courts do not have rigidly defined territories, there is nevertheless a web of complicated political relationships between them. Most of the Fey Courts send representatives to an annual, neutral gathering known as the Court of Stars, at which they spend most of their time scheming and vying for favor with each other. The Summer Court * The fey of the Summer Court are led by Tiandra, the Summer Queen, who rules from the palace of Senaliesse. The Summer Court looks most favorably upon mortals, especially bards and storytellers. Priam and Myra's son, Dius, is married to a noble of the Summer Court. The Wild Court * The green fey of the Wild Court are led by Lord Oran, the Green Lord. They are dedicated to the preservation of nature; many treants and dryads belong to the Wild Court. They do not usually approve of mortals, although some druids and shamans have managed to win their acceptance. The Winter Court * Formerly led by the cruel Prince of Frost, the winter fey's relationship with the other courts ranged from indifferent to openly hostile. The Prince of Frost despised mortals, and wished to freeze the Material Plane into an endless winter. Recently, the Prince of Frost was slain by kercpa Chrip, who inherited his archfey powers and styled himself the Emperor of Winter. His first actions have been to thaw the once icy relations with the Summer Court. The Court of Coral * The Sea Lords of the Court of Coral are led by the siblings Elias and Siobahn Alastai. Claiming all the major waters of the Feywild as their desmenes, they are jovial and slow to anger - for which the other courts are very grateful, as they have been known to drown entire lands in their fury. They are relatively indifferent with regards to mortals, but give respect to sailors and other seamen. The Gloaming Court * The Gloaming Court is the most enigmatic of the Fey Courts. Led by the gentlemanly Prince of Hearts, the gloaming fey are dedicated to Sehanine Moonbow. Though they hate lycanthropes, they give little thought to other mortals, save those who also worship the Goddess of Moonlight. The Night Court * The Night Court was formed in the weeks following the demise of the Prince of Frost, as those still loyal to him and his goals banded together to oppose the new ruler of the Winter Court. They are led not by an archfey, but by the Prince of Frost's former advisers. The Unseelie Court * Despite the name, the Unseelie, or dark fey, are not actually a true court. The dark fey are made up primarily of the denizens of the Feydark and their allies - fomorians, cyclopes, and quicklings to name a few. The malicious dark fey revel in chaos and bloodshed, and have long been at war with their surface-dwelling cousins. In fact, in the long history of the Feywild, the only times that all of the courts have found enough common ground to ally with each other have been when fighting against the dark fey. *